No life lost in cyclone Biparjoy, it is a major achievement: Amit Shah

BHUJ/NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that it was a major achievement of the Gujarat government that no death took place on account of cyclone Biparjoy, even though it packed a wind speed of up to 140 kmph while making landfall.

Addressing a press conference at Kutch district headquarters in Bhuj, which also bore the brunt of the cyclone, Mr Shah said that electricity will be restored in affected areas by June 20. Power supply was suspended in 3,400 villages due to the cyclone, out of which power has been restored in 1,600 villages in less than 24 hours, the home minister said, adding that at present 1,133 teams are engaged in restoring power supply and 400 more teams will be deployed on Sunday.

The state government will soon carry out a survey of damage caused to crops, orchards and fishing boats and announce a relief package, Mr Shah said.

Crediting the "excellent" coordination between the state and Central governments for successfully handling the cyclone fury, Mr Shah said, "We can express satisfaction that nobody has died in the cyclone... It was a major achievement."

"Not only that, the number of injured persons was only 47 and casualties among cattle were just 234," the Union minister added.

Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near Jakhau on the Kutch coast on Thursday evening, felling trees and electric poles and damaging houses. The government's priority now is the restoration of electricity and water supplies and sending people who are in shelters back to their homes, the Union minister said.

"Those who were shifted will be sent back to their homes in a couple of days," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi continuously guided the Union home ministry, Gujarat government and all government agencies, Mr Shah said, adding that to come out of this disaster with a minimum damage was a great example of effective teamwork.

With advance planning and preparation by the state government and Central agencies, the damage to human and animal lives and property was minimised, he said, praising the state government's "zero casualty approach".

The Central teams supported the state government in ensuring fast-paced relief and rehabilitation efforts, he said. More than one lakh people, including 1,152 pregnant women, were shifted to safer locations ahead of the cyclone, while 73,000 cattle were also relocated, Mr Shah pointed out.

Starting his day-long visit to the cyclone-affected parts of Gujarat on Saturday; Mr Shah first conducted an aerial survey of cyclone-affected areas from Bhuj to Mandvi and Jakhau in Gujarat. In Mandvi, Mr Shah visited the civil hospital where pregnant women were brought before the onset of the cyclone, visited the wards of the hospital and spoke to pregnant women and women who delivered babies during the cyclone period. He also visited a village and met farmers and their families, whose crops were damaged.

Earlier in the day, the Union home minister chaired a review meeting at Bhuj on preparedness before and during the cyclone, damages caused and restoration measures. The meeting was attended by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and other senior officials of the state. Secretaries and senior officers of the Union home ministry, power ministry, ministry of telecommunications and director-generals of IMD and NDRF joined the meeting through video conferencing.

Appreciating the work done by the NDRF and SDRF, the Union minister said that 19 battalions of the NDRF, 13 battalions of the SDRF and two reserve battalions worked to save the lives of the people by risking their lives. He said that the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, BSF, state reserve police and the state police worked in full coordination with the NDRF and SDRF.